Drilling machine for drilling a taphole in a blast furnace



April 21, 1970 I TOSHIKAZU HONDA 3,507,484

DRILLING MACHINE FOR DRILLING A TAPHOLE IN A BLAST FURNACE Filed Nov. 8, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR TOSHI KAZ U HONDA BY wMuM mmM.

ATTORNEYS April 21, 1970 TOSHIKAZU HONDA 3,507,484

DRILLING MACHINE FOR DRILLING A TAPHOLE IN A BLAST FURNACE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 8, 1967 INVENTOR TOSH IKAZU H N DA fl. MM/ m ATTORNEYS April 1970 TOSHIKAZU HONDA 3,507,484

DRILLING MACHINE FOR DRILLING A TAPHOLE IN A BLAST FURNACE Filed Nov. 8, 1967 5 Sheets-$heot 5 FKEB INVENTOR TOSH l KAZU HONDA ATTORNEYS April 1970 TOSHIKAZU HONDA 3,507,484

DRILLING MACHINE FOR DRILLING A TAPHOLE IN A BLAST FURNACE 5 Sheets-Shun 4 Filed Nov. 8, 1967 INVENTOR FOS MAZU HONDA ATTORNEYS pri 2 1970 TOSHIKAZU HONDA 3,507,484

DRILLING MACHINE FOR DRILLING A TAPHOLE IN A BLAST FURNACE Filed NOV. 8. 1967 v 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR TOSH IKAZU HON DA BY 5 i 1," N

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,507,484 DRILLING MACHINE FOR DRILLING A TAP- HOLE IN A BLAST FURNACE Toshikazn Honda, Kure-shi, Japan, assignor to Tokyo Company Limited, Hiroshima-ken, Japan Filed Nov. 8, 1967, Ser. No. 681,601 Int. Cl. C21b 7/12 US. Cl. 266-42 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A drilling machine having a cradle and an arc rail mounted on a furnace body. A carriage moves along the arc rail and supports one end of girder. The other end of the girder is mounted to swing both vertically and horizontally from the cradle. A guide channel is supported from the one end of the girder and has a drill mounted to move therealong. A hook on the guide channel attaches to a latch fixed to the furnace when the machine is in the drilling position.

This invention relates to a drilling machine for drilling a taphole in a blast furnace, and more particularly, to a drilling machine by which the drilling operation is carried out precisely and easily, and the succeeding furnace operations are not interrupted, the drilling machine being retracted from the furnace after the drilling operation.

Heretofore, when drilling a taphole, the drilling machine has been laid on a mounting base in front of the blast furnace. In front of the blast furnace, however, the crane for carrying heavy goods, the mud gun for closing the taphole, and other structures are often laid. Therefore setting the said mounting base for the drilling machine on the floor in front of the furnace necessarily restricts the space around the furnace, causes the removal of molten iron to be more difficult, and consequently decreases work efficiency as a whole. It is, in general, desired that the drilling machine be able to drill the taphole exactly and surely, and after the drilling of the hole the drilling machine be moved as far away as possible from the blast furnace to avoid the intense heat effect of the molten iron, and that after the steel drill opens the taphole, the said drill can be drawn out instantly before the front end of the said rod is damaged -by molten iron. Previous drilling machines have not proved completely satisfactory for these demands.

The first object of this invention is to make safe and effective the tapping and accompanying operations by setting the drilling machine upward in front of the blast furnace, utilizing the furnace wall and a structure around the blast furnace, so as to provide as much as possible in front of the blast furnace.

The second object of this invention is to hold the drill surely to the furnace body so that a drill steel can accurately open the hole in the furnace body.

The third object of this invention is to move the drilling machine as far away from the furnace body as possible in a compactly and securely folded state after the tapping operation is completed.

The fourth object of this invention is to make the said drill steel retreat as rapidly as possible by imparting a reverse impact force on it.

Other objects and accompanying advantages of this invention will further become apparent in the description hereinafter based on the drawings which are given by way of example, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation in partial section of the drilling machine of this invention set forth on the furnace body;

3,507,484 Patented Apr. 21, 1970 FIG. 2 is a partial horizontal section of the drilling machine of this invention set on the furnace body;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation through line IIIIII in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side elevation of a part of FIG.1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged front elevation through line V--V in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side elevation of a part of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a front view in partial longitudinal section through line VII-VII in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a horizontal section of the reverse impact device fitted on the well-known drill.

Further description of the drilling machine of the taphole according to this invention is given with reference to the attached drawings as follows. In the upper part around the outside of a body 10 of the blast furnace is positioned a bustle pipe 11 wherein is circulated the hot blast supplied from a suitable hot blast stove (not shown in drawings) and delivered through a duct 12 into the furnace. Disposed above the taphole 13 of the furnace body 10, cradles 17, 18, which form a framework with cross members 15, 16 on channels 14, are firmly fixed to the furnace body by means of brackets 19, 20. Hinges 21, which are fixed to the rear end of the said cradle 17, are swingably fitted by means of a swing pin 24 with the hinges 23 fixed to both the upper and lower portions of the front end of a joint 22. The said joint 22 is swingably fitted by means of a lift fin with a flange 29 which is fixed to the front end of a grider 28 which is a frame formed by cross members 26, 27 and a pair of upper and lower channels 25. A rail 32, which is supported by a bracket 31 from a structure 11 of the furnace, e.g., a bustle pipe, is formed in an arc with the said swing pin 24 as the center of the are. On the said rail 32 rides a carriage 35 which is slidable right and left by means of the chain 34 hung on a first chain-feed motor 33. As seen in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, arms 38 are fixed by means of bolts 37 to both ends of a plate 36 which is fixed on the upper surface of the rail 32 at a desired interval, and the lower end of each of the arms 38 is firmly fitted to cross arms 65 which have a guide plate 39 at one end thereof and have a sprocket wheel 41 swingably supported at the other end by means of a stem 40. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, brackets 43 are fixed by means of bolts 45 through washers 44 on the upper end of hanger plates 42, so that the said girder can move up and down freely, and rollers 47, which are inserted rotatably on stems 46 supported by the said brackets 43, ride on the said rail 32. Arms 48 on the sides of the said hanger plates 42, are fitted by means of bolts 52 on brackets 51 which have rollers fixed rotatably by means of a stem 49, the said rollers 50 being so positioned that there may be a predetermined space between the upper end thereof and the lower end of rail 32 in order to prevent the said hanger plates 42 from upward and downward fluctuation against the rail 32. Thus, one end of the chain 34 of the first chain-feed motor 33 set on the said rail 32 is connected with a clasp 54 set on the said brackets 43 through the space between the guide plate 39 and the sprocket wheel 41 via a wheel 53, while the other end of the chain 34 is connected with the said clasp 54 via a wheel 55 and through the space between the guide plate 39 and the sprocket wheel 41. By operating the first chain-feed motor 33, the said carriage 35 can be moved right or left along the rail 32 by means of the chain 34.

The rear part of girder 28 is hung on carriage 35 by connecting a rope 61 wound up in first winch (e.g. the air hoist) 60, which is fixed on the upper surface of the said girder 28, to a lug on the girder 28 via a wheel 62 and a wheel 64 which is mounted on a first stem 63 set swingably on the upper portions of the hanger plates 42. In slots 56 in said hanger plates 42 are inserted both ends of a second stem 59 which is set in a generally horizontal direction against hook holders 58 fixed on the upper rear end of the said girder 28 by means of bolts 57. An arm 66' of a hook 66 set swingably on the hook holders 58 by means of a stem 58' is connected swingably with the front end of a piston rod 69 of a hydraulic cylinder 68 one end of which is set in a lug 67 fixed on the upper rear part of the girder 28, and When the girder 28 is lifted up by operating the said first winch 60, hydraulic cylinder 68 operates to position the front end of the hook 66 on the first stem 63. In FIG. 7, an arm 71 fitted with a plate is swingably set in the flange 28' of the girder 28 by means of a stem 72, and washers 77 are fixed on the upper side of a guide channel 76 so as to be inserted into guide space 75 between the said plate 70 and a plate 74 supported by bolts 73 below the said plate 70.

Rollers 81, which are rotatably set by means of stems in supporting members 79 having a plate 78 at their lower ends, roll on a rail 76 of the said guide channel 76, and in the lower surface of the said plate 78 is fixed a holder plate 83, which is hung on a base 82 of a drill 82, through a spacer 84 by means of bolts 85. Because the structure for loading a reverse impact device 86 on the rail 76 is similar to that of the said drill 82, the drawings and the detailed description thereof are omitted. When the reverse impact device 86 and the drill 82, are mounted together the connecting rods 87, 88, which are fixed on the sides of the supporting members 79, are removably coupled with each other by means of a connector 89. One end of a chain 91 hung on a second chain-feed motor fixed on the rear upper surface of the said guide channel 76 is connected with the plate of the reverse impact device 86 through a wheel 92 positioned at the front end of the guide channel 76, while the other end of the chain 91 is connected with the plate 78 of the drill 82 through a wheel 93 positioned at the rear end of the guide channel 76. By operating the said feed motor 90, the said drill 82 and the reverse impact device 86 can be moved back or forth along the guide channel 76 by means of the chain 91. The reason for making the drill 82 and the reverse impact device 86 removable by means of the connector 89 is that, in this invention, the reverse impact device 86 and the drill 82 are not always used together, often only the drill is loaded on the guide channel. In the latter case, as hereinafter described in detail a shank rod inserted into both the reverse impact device 86 and the drill 82 must be replaced with a common rod, and the said other end of the chain 91 must be connected with the plate 78 of the drill 82.

A rope 95 and a chain 95 so connected as to be wound up by a second winch (e.g. the air hoist) 94 are connected with a lug 98 on the guide channel 76 through rollers 96, 97 set on the lower end and the front upper end, respectively, of the girder 28. Thereby on swinging the guide channel 76 downward, a first hook 101 fixed on the front end of the guide channel 76 is positioned on a first latch 102 fixed on the furnace body 10, at a position such that the axis of drill 82 and reverse impact device 86 coincide with the center line of the taphole 13 on swinging the guide channel 76 upward, a second hook 99 set swingably at the front lower end of the girder 28 is positioned on a second latch fixed on the guide channel 76. Though it is shown in the drawings that the operation of the second hook 99 is manual, the said operation may be made automatic by connecting the hook with the piston beam of a fluid cylinder.

With reference to FIG. 8, the construction of the re-.

verse impact device 86 is illustrated. An annular piston 104 inserted slidably in the inside of a cylinder 103 is slidably set in a head 105 fitted on the rear end of said cylinder 103 through bushings 106, 107. In the inside of the said annular piston 104 is inserted a shank rod 109 which has a passage 108, and a collar 110 of the rod 109 is fitted slidably in a bushing 111 which is inserted inwardly in the rear of the head 105, the collar being abutted against the rear end of the annular piston 104. The front part of the shank rod 109 is slidably fitted into a bushing 113 of a head 112 fitted on the front end of cylinder 103, and in the front interior of the cylinder 103 is fitted a valve device 117 which delivers the air from an air inlet nozzle 114 to a front cylinder chamber 115 or alternatively to a rear cylinder chamber 116. The valve device 117 is constructed so that the inside of a guide plate 119 having an annular passage 118 therein leading to the air inlet nozzle 114 is fitted on the said shank rod 109, and between the outside of the guide plate 119 and the front inside of the cylinder 103 a valve chest 121 is fixed by a fixing pin 122, whereby a clearance is left a a passage 120, and one end of a passage 123 opening into the plate 119 is connected to the passage 118 while the other end is connected with a valve chamber 124. The rear outside of the guide plate 119 is slidably fitted with a valve 125 which is L-shaped in section, and by connecting the front and rear surfaces of the valve 125 with the rear end of the valve chest 121 and a valve seat 126, respectively, air is delivered either to the front cylinder chamber 115 through the valve chamber 124, or to the rear cylinder chamber 116 through the valve chamber 124, the passage 120, and a passage in the cylinder wall, which is not shown in the drawings. A spline 127 fixed on the rear part of the shank rod 109 is slidably fitted to a spline 130 of a rotation sleeve 129 which is set in a head 128 of the drill 82, and the rear end of the shank rod 109 is abutted against the piston 131 of the drill 82.

In this invention, when the reverse impact device 86 is used together with the drill 82, the feeding of the air from the air supply source must be controlled through a well-known change valve (e.g. a cross valve) so that air is not fed to the drill 82 during the feeding of air to the reverse impact device 86, and air is not fed to the reverse impact device 86 during the feeding of air to the drill 82. Further description on the air controlling circuit, however, is omitted, since Workers skilled in the art will fully understand its operation.

The end of the said shank rod 109 is removably connected by means of a connector 132 with a rod 134, one end of which is supported on a centralizer 133.

The operation of the drilling machine according to this invention is as follows:

With the drilling machine located in the solid line position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the drill 82 and the second chain-feed motor 90 are operated to cause drill 82 and the reverse impact device 86 to move by means of the chain 91 along the guide channel 76, and then to cause the rod to drill the taphole 13 halfway through the furnace wall. Then by stopping the operation of drill 82 and by reversing rotation of the second chain-feed motor 90, the drill 82 and the reverse impact device 86 are withdrawn, and after the drill steel 134 is replaced by a well-known consumable tapping rod which is not shown in the drawings, by again operating the drill 82 and second chain-feed motor 90, the drill 82 and the reverse impact device 86 are caused to move, and the remainder of the taphole 13 is opened by the consumable tapping rod. During this operation, it often happens that the consumable tapping rod cannot easily be withdrawn due to the welding of the front point thereof with molten iron in the furnace. In this case, by the rapid operation of the reverse impact device 86, the rod can be more easily withdrawn from the taphole. This operation occurs as follows. Air supplied to the air inlet nozzle 114 is delivered to the rear cylinder chamber 116 through the annular passage 118, the passage 123, the valve chamber 124, and the passage 120, causes piston 104 to move forward. Then, the rear cylinder chamber 116 is connected with a vent nozzle, whereby the compressed pressure is decreased. However, the piston 104 continues to move due to inertia and causes the pressure in the front cylinder chamber 115 to increase, whereby the valve 125 moves forward, thereby causing air fed into the valve chamber 124 to flow into the front cylinder chamber 115 whereby the piston 104 retreats. Thereafter, the front cylinder chamber 115 is connected to a vent nozzle, but the piston 104 continues to move due to inertia, so that the rear end of the piston hits the collar 110 of the shank rod 109, whereby the said shank rod is forced backward. Thereafter, inasmuch as the pressure in the rear cylinder chamber 116 is increased, the valve is moved backward to cause air to flow into the passage 120. Piston 104- repeats the above-mentioned operation to give reverse impact force to the shank rod 109, and by making the rotation of second chain-feed motor 90 reversible, the drill 82 and the reverse impact device 86 can be rapidly moved backward along the guide channel 76.

After the opening of the taphole 13 is completed by the above operations, by operating the second winch 94, the guide channel 76 is swung upward around the stem 72 by means of the chain 95 and the rope 95', and when the guide channel 76 reaches a position parallel to the lower surface of the girder 28, the second hook 99 is operated and positioned on the second latch 100. Thereafter, by operating the first winch 60, the girder 28 is swung upward around the lift pin 30 by means of the rope 61. In this operation, inasmuch as the second stem 59 set on the hook holders 58 of the girder 28 slides upwardly in the slots 56, by operating the fluid cylinder 68 when the said second stem 59 approaches the upper end of the said slots 56, the front end of the hook 66 can be positioned on the first stem 63 fixed on hanger plates 42 (refer to FIG.

Thereby, the girder 28 and the guide channel 76 can be held above the furnace body 11) in a folded position, as indicated by the dashed lines in FIG. 1.

By operating the first chain-feed motor 33, the girder 28 and the guide channel 76 are swung to the left along rail 32 around the swing pin 24 by means of the chain 34, whereby they can be retracted far from the taphole 13.

Movement of the girder 28 and the guide channel 76 from the position indicated by the dashed lines to the position indicated by the solid line in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be accomplished by reversing the above described operation of the first chain-feed motor 33, the first and second winches 60, 94, and the first and second hooks 99, 101.

As seen from the above descriptions, according to this invention, the drill steel may easily be withdrawn from the taphole, and the drill steel does not damage the cooling devices located within the furnace wall in the v cinity of the taphole, since the drill angle may be maintained even when the drill guide channel is subjected to a reaction force from the drill. Furthermore, the guide channel does not become covered with molten metal or damaged by radiant heat, since the channel may immediately be swung up and away from the taphole.

For the purpose of exemplification, a particular ernbodiment of the invention has been shown and described according to the best understanding thereof. However, it will be apparent that changes and modificat ons in the arrangement and construction of the parts thereof may be resorted to without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention,

What is claimed is:

1. A drilling machine for drilling a taphole in a blast furnace comprising a cradle fixed to said furnace above the proposed location of said taphole, an arc rail supported from a structure of said furnace, a carriage means mounted for right and left movement along said are rail, a first chain-feed motor means having a chain for moving said carriage along said are rail, a girder having a first end and a second end, said first end be ng mounted on said cradle to swing both vertically and horizontally by means of a lift pin and a swing pin respectively, a first winch mounted on said girder and having a rope adapted to be wound therearound, said rope supporting said second end of said girder a predetermined distance "below said carriage, a guide channel swingably mounted by means of a shaft to said second end of said girder, a second winch means mounted on said girder and having a rope for swinging said guide channel around said shaft, a drill mounted on said guide channel and having a drill steel, a second-feed motor means having a chain for moving said drill steel back and forth along said guide channel, and a first hook means on said guide channel for engaging -a first latch means fixed on said furnace when the center line of said drill steel coincides with that of said taphole.

2. A drilling machine for drilling a taphole in a blast furnace as claimed in claim 1, further comprising hanger plates attached to and extending from the lower surface of said carriage and having slots therein, a first stem positioned in said hanger plates, a hook holder positioned on said girder and having a second stem therein adapted to fit in said slot, a hook swingably attached to said hook holder, and a hydraulic means having a cylinder attached to said girder and a piston attached to said hook, whereby when said girder is swung vertically around said lift pin, said piston may be operated to cause said hook to be positioned on said first stem.

3. A drilling machine for drilling a taphole in a blast furnace as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a second latch means fixed on the upper surface of said guide channel for engagement with a second hook means fixed on the lower surface of said girder when said guide channel is swung upwardly around said shaft.

4. A drilling machine for drilling a taphole in a blast furnace as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a reverse impact means having a rod therein and being mounted on said guide channel.

5. A drilling machine for drilling a taphole in a blast furnace as claimed in claim 4, further comprising hanger plates attached to and extending from the lower surface of said carriage and having slots therein, a first stem positioned in said hanger plates, a hook holder positioned on said girder and having a second stern there n adapted to fit in said slots, a hook swingably attached to said hook holder, and a hydraulic means having a cylinder attached to said girder and a piston attached to said hook, whereby when said girder is swung vertically around said lift pin, said piston may be operated to cause said hook to be positioned on said first stem.

6. A drilling machine for drilling a taphole in a blast furnace as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a second latch means fixed on the upper surface of said guide channel for engagement with a second hook means fixed on the lower surface of said girder when said guide chan nel is swung upwardly around said shaft.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,889,433 11/1932 Brosius 266-42 3,190,629 6/1965 =Drapes '26642 FOREIGN PATENTS 129,665 5/1960 U.S.S.R.

ROBERT D. BALDWIN, Primary Examiner 

